5.remote Sensing

ER.
PRABIN KUMAR SHRESTHA POKHARA ENGINEERING COLLEGE

Chapter 5: Remote Sensing and GIS
Introduction to Remote Sensing :
Remote - Something which is far away
Sensing - Getting information or getting data ;
Remote sensing is getting or collecting information form far away or without being
contact with the object. It is known as remote sensing.
Remote sensing is a technology of acquiring information about earth surface

without actually being in contact with it.This is done by sensing and recording
reflection or emitted energy & processing, analyzing and applying that
information.
Principles of Remote Sensing :
The source of remote sensing data is the electromagnetic radiations which are
emitted or reflected by the object, which then helps in their identification and
classification.
Components of Remote Sensing :
1. Platform :
A Platform is defined as the carrier for remote sensing sensors. There are
three major remote sensing platforms: ground-level platform (towers and
cranes), aerial platforms (Helicopters, low altitude aircraft, high altitude
aircraft), and space borne platforms (space shuttles, polar-orbiting satellites,
and geostationary satellites).
Fig: Ground-level platform Fig: Aerial Platforms Fig: Space borne platforms
2. Sensors
It is a device that receives electromagnetic radiations and converts it into a signal
that can be recorded and displayed as either numerical data or an image.
Elements or Process of Remote Sensing:
1. Energy source -(A) The first requirement for remote sensing is to have an energy
source which illuminate or provide electromagnetic energy to the target of interest.
2. Radiation and atmosphere - (B) As the energy travels from its source to the target,
it will come in contact with or interact with the atmosphere it passes through; this
interaction may take place a second as the energy travels from the target to the
sensor.
3. Interaction with the target -(C) Once the energy makes it way to the target through
the atmosphere, it interacts with the target depending upon the properties of both
the target & radiation.
4. Recording of energy by the sensors -(D) After the energy has been scattered by,
emitted from the target, we require a sensor (remote-not in contact with the target) to
collect and record the electromagnetic radiation.
5. Transmission, reception and processing -(E) The energy received by the sensors has
to be transmitted, often in electronic form, to receive and processing section where the
data are produced into an image ( hard copy & digital ).
6.Interpretation and analysis -(F) The proceed image is interpreted in two types visually
and digitally. To extract information about the target which was illuminated.
7. Application -(G) The final element of remote sensing process is achieved when we
apply the information - we have been able to extract from the imagery about the target in
order to better understand and reveal some new information
Advantages/ Disadvantages of Remote Sensing
Remote Sensing Applications
1 Agriculture -- remote sensing applications in agriculture includes –
• crop type classification
• crop condition assessment
• crop yield estimation
• mapping of soil characteristics
• mapping of soil management practices
2 Forestry -- remote sensing application in forestry includes –
• forest cover
• type of forest
• vegetation density
• deforestation
3 Geology -- remote sensing applications in geology includes –
• bedrock mapping
• mineral exploration
• environmental geology
• sedimentation mapping and monitoring
4 Hydrology -- remote sensing applications of hydrology includes –
• wetlands mapping and monitoring
• soil moisture estimation,
• measuring snow thickness,
• flood mapping and monitoring,
5 sea ice -- remote sensing applications of sea ice includes –
• ice concentration
• ice type / age /motion
• Ice condition (state of decay)
6 Land use / Land Cover Analysis
7 Natural hazards minimization
8 Weather Forecasting
Remote sensing Sensors- There are two type of
sensors:
1. Passive Sensors: Passive sensors , it detect
natural energy(radiation) that is emitted or
reflected by the object or scene being observed.
Reflected sunlight is the most common source of
radiation measured by passive sensors.
2. Active sensors: Active sensors it transmit their

own signal and measure the energy that is reflected
and transmitted back or scatter back from the target.
For example radar sonar.
Types of Remote sensing Systems-
1. Visual System
The human visual system is an example of a remote sensing system in the general sense.
The sensors in this example are the two types of photosensitive cells, known as
the cones and the rods, at the retina of the eyes. The cones are responsible for colour
vision. The rods are sensitive only to the total light intensity .
2. Optical System
Optical remote sensing makes use of visible, near infrared and short-wave infrared sensors
to form images of the earth's surface by detecting the solar radiation reflected from targets
on the ground.
3. Infrared System
Infrared remote sensing makes use of infrared sensors to detect infrared radiation emitted
from the Earth's surface. The middle-wave infrared (MWIR) and long-wave infrared
(LWIR) are within the thermal infrared region. These radiations are emitted from warm
objects such as the Earth's surface. They are used in satellite remote sensing for
measurements of the earth's land and sea surface temperature. Thermal infrared remote
sensing is also often used for detection of forest fires.
Interaction of electro-magnetic radiation with the Earth's surface
The interaction of electro-magnetic radiation with the Earth's surface is driven by three
physical processes: reflection, absorption, and transmission of radiation.
Absorption involves a reduction in radiation intensity as its energy is converted on

reaching an object on the Earth's surface.
Reflection involves the returning or throwback of the radiation incident on an object on

the Earth's surface
Transmission means transfer of radioactive energy from an object on the Earth's

surface to surrounding bodies.
The balanced energy equation for radiation at a given wave length λ can
be expressed as ;
EIλ= Erλ + EAλ + ETλ ;

Where,
EIλ= Incident energy
ERλ= Reflected energy
EAλ= Absorbed energy
ETλ= Transmitted energy
The proportion of each fraction varies for different materials depending upon their
composition and condition. Within a given features type these proportions will vary
different wave length, thus, helping in discrimination of different objects.
Fig: Electromagnetic Energy

Electromagnetic Radiations or waves:
The electromagnetic waves your eyes detect – visible light – oscillate between 400 and
790 terahertz (THz). That’s several hundred trillion times a second. The wavelengths
are roughly the size of a large virus: 390 – 750 nanometers (1 nanometer = 1 billionth of
a meter; a meter is about 39 inches long). Our brain interprets the various wavelengths
of light as different colors. Red has the longest wavelength, and violet the shortest.
When we pass sunlight through a prism, we see that it’s actually composed of many
wavelengths of light. The prism creates a rainbow by redirecting each wavelength out at
a slightly different angle.
But light doesn’t stop at red or
violet. Just like there are
sounds we can’t hear (but
other animals can), there is
also an enormous range of
light that our eyes can’t detect.
In general, the longer
wavelengths come from the
coolest and darkest regions of
space. Meanwhile, the shorter
wavelengths measure
extremely energetic phenomena.
Astronomers use the entire electromagnetic spectrum to observe a variety of things.
Radio waves and microwaves – the longest wavelengths and lowest energies of light –
are used to peer inside dense interstellar clouds and track the motion of cold, dark gas.

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ER.

PRABIN KUMAR SHRESTHA POKHARA ENGINEERING COLLEGE

Remote sensing is a technology of acquiring information about earth surface

Principles of Remote Sensing :

6 Land use / Land Cover Analysis

7 Natural hazards minimization

2. Active sensors: Active sensors it transmit their

Absorption involves a reduction in radiation intensity as its energy is converted on

Reflection involves the returning or throwback of the radiation incident on an object on

Transmission means transfer of radioactive energy from an object on the Earth's

EIλ= Erλ + EAλ + ETλ ;

Fig: Electromagnetic Energy

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